Do We Know Him?

Philippians 3:7-9 "7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

As I sat pondering these words for some time I began to realize a disheartening truth in Christianity today...Christians today are not like the disciple Paul describes of himself above. In fact many so-called Christians today have missed something, they aren't getting it, they have missed the mark and it is time to re-focus and re-train our thinking.

The term "Christian" is thrown around lightly especially in the United States. In fact it is almost cultural to be called a Christian. If you don't have a religious affiliation you are a "Christian", if you believe there is a greater power...God maybe, you are a "Christian", if you do good things for others, you are a "Christian"...and the list goes on. But what on earth are we thinking? How has American Christianity become so fruitless, so mediocre, and worse so wrong? Why do people no longer even know what a "Christian" is?

When I hear the word Christian I immediately think a disciple of Christ. I think of someone who is sold out for Him, who is passionately pursuing Him, who has their goal in mind and is striving whole-heartedly to gain the prize. I think of someone who is saturated in the truth of God's Word, who is actively serving the Lord and others, who is burdened with the desire for God's name to be glorified and who is living a life that is radically and when I say radically I mean RADICALLY different then those around them. But lets be honest here, is this what we see in modern Christianity? Does this even describe some of us...any of us who are claiming to know Him?

Something has gone terribly awry in this "Christian" culture and we as genuine disciples should be burdened with a desire to set it straight. In the beginning of this post I posted Philippians 3:7-9. This is a challenging set of Scripture where we find that Christians are to have counted everything...EVERYTHING a loss compared to knowing Christ!! What does that even mean? To know Christ...does it mean to know a lot about him? Well yes that is part of it but it means so much more...

1 John 2:3 says, "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands." But wait a second, if we are to obey His commands we are going to have to know them and the only way to know them is to be in His manual for life...the Word and in it daily and as often daily as we can be. Do we claim to know him but fail to read fellowship with Him in His Word and in prayer? Is there even a desire for you as a "Christian" to be in the Word? I would beg to say that if there is no desire there is something radically wrong with your thinking.

1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." What does it mean to love the world? Idols of the heart are ANYTHING that takes precedent over Christ. Anything we love more, we value more, are unwilling to sacrifice etc. for Christ. How often do we place things in front of Christ...He MUST be number one in all things...number one in your school work or your job, number one in your relationships, number one in your daily chores, number one in your worship...etc. If you love the world, if it is so appetizing to you and you love saturating yourself in it how can you claim to know Him? How can you claim that as Paul writes in Philippians 3 that you have considered all those things rubbish? Bottom line...YOU CANNOT!

1 John 2:29 says, "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." The child of God desires to please His father...desires to do what is right. Do you? Do you desire to live a life that mirrors Him and reflects Him in all His glory? If you are living a life that is not marked by righteousness there is something wrong.

I could go on and on about what it means to know Christ, what it means to be His true disciple and so forth but it all comes down to do you really know Christ? Does He know you? Have you picked up your cross and followed Him? Are you living a life that is radically and i mean RADICALLY different then those around you...even those who claim to be "Christians". Are you seeking Him with your whole heart? Is your desire, your passion and your goal to see His name glorified? Are you in love with the Savior and in awe of His mercy and lovingkindness? Have you been transformed by the Work of His Son on the cross?

The church has fallen prey to watering down the truth and even the Gospel. There is no longer a passion for truth and what a sadness that brings to my heart. Many are blinded by the men standing behind pulpits who are preaching something that is far from what the Word teaches. As true believers we should seek not only in our own lives to live by truth and proclaim it but to seek to share that truth with all those around us. "Christians" are not necessarily "Christians"...in fact I would argue that many are not.

May the reminder found in 1 John 3:1 (" How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! ")inspire us, encourage us, and motivate us to take heed and be like Paul and like the disciple he describes in Philippians 3...a man or woman who has counted everything a loss compared to Christ who is the beginning the middle and the end of life, all satisfaction and joy!!!